July 2012 Notable Toys — Construction

How constructive! Build up the fun with the My First Ball Track - Basic Pack set from HABA! Perfect for all master constructors ages 18 months and older, the ball track is guaranteed fun! The colorful connecting blocks come with pivots that easily lock into place on the bottom of the ball track pieces. This makes constructing easy and ensures the track stays in place even if your little one bumps against it. Plus.... ding! Build the curving track toward the finishing block with the bell so the ball with ring it whenever it reaches the end of the track! Contains 1 ramp, 6 curves, 8 colored connecting blocks, 1 finishing block with bell, 1 regular ball, and 1 special effect ball that glitters, rings, or rattles while rolling! Try it out with the My First Ball Track set and My First Ball Track Ball Ramp. As your little one grows older, this set can easily be complemented with any of the HABA ball track sets.
— Dean Smith, owner of JaZams in Princeton, N.J., told TDmonthly in a January 2015 survey that HABA Marble Runs and components are one of their store's best-selling STEM toys. They sell around 10 each month.

Things really start to roll for little ones: the barrels, balls and rotating disks allow kids, in a playful way, to delve into the fascinating world of optics and discover impressive motion effects. Contents: 3 basic wheel chassis, 1 set of wheels, 2 effect balls, 1 spinning top, 6 color disks to stick on spinning top, 8 barrels, 1 ringing roll. Material: beech wood, polycarbonate.

This brightly colored pegging game comes with 36 interchangeable pieces for endless playing configurations. Made from beech wood and colored with water-based, non-toxic stains.

Make carnival rides with Magformers. 144 magnets included in 46 magformers. Twelve triangles and twenty-four squares, two hexagons and eight additional triangles.
— As of 08/06/2012 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 4 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Well made, durable; encourages creativity.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval

108 magnets included in 30 Magformers. Twelve triangles and eighteen squares. Two different shapes - triangles, and squares. Blue, orange, red, purple, green and blue colored pieces. Includes 30 Magformers and detailed instruction guide.
— Diana Nelson, owner of Kazoo Toys in Denver, Colo., told TDmonthly in a Fall 2012 survey that Magformers are one of her top-2 overall best selling toys.
— Gary Green, owner of Toy Box of Asheville Inc in Asheville, N.C., told TDmonthly in a May 2014 survey that Magformers were the best-selling construction toy in the store.

The BILD line offers a stimulating opportunity for constructive play and imaginative exploration. Leap always knew it was destined for fun. Inspired by a rocket, this Bit redesigned itself to fly. With a well placed propeller and a powerful spring, Leap is always ready to leap into action. Crank is the go-to BIT. Whether he's scooping sand, clutching parts, or fixing the other Bits, Crank is the one for the job.Set Contains: 1 OGOBILD BITS Leap character and 1 OGOBILD BITS Crank character.
Awards: Summer 2012 Tillywig Award Winner

Zane ZX is all powered up and ready to take on the evil Serpentine enemies. With Spinjitzu ice shields and incredible weapons, it's a bad day to battle the Spinjitzu masters. Customize spinners like never before with the Zane ZX minifigure, shields, blades, LEGO lift brick, golden weapon and 2 regular weapons. Use the 4 battle cards included in the set to influence the outcome.

Defeat the Great Devourer in the epic battle between good versus evil.  The Great Devourer has been awakened and threatens to devour the world of Ninjago. Can the legendary green ninja, riding the awesome 4-headed Ultra Dragon, overpower this evil adversary? Can Lord Garmadon harness the power of the 4 golden weapons of Spinjitzu to destroy the mighty snake and what about Sensei Wu? Can Jay defeat the evil snake Generals Acidicus, Skalidor and snake soldier Chokun to release his master from the impenetrable snake prison? Includes 7 minifigures: Lloyd ZX, Jay ZX, Sensei Wu, Lord Garmadon, Acidicus, Skalidor and Chokun. Set features 4-headed Ultra Dragon, The Great Devourer, snake prison, Hypnobrai fang blade with blue anti-venom capsule, 4 golden weapons and 7 regular weapons.
— As of 07/16/2012 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Very large set with many pieces; dragon's jaw can open and close. Cons: One user said that when they tried to play with the product after it was built, the blocks fell apart.

Plus-Plus is a brand new breed of construction toy. Made in Denmark (the land of LEGO!), it is the ultimate in open-ended, imagination-driven simplicity. Each piece is the same shape - two plus symbols joined together - allowing for endless possibility. Available in Basic or Neon colors, and in 100pc, 300pc, 600pc and 1200pc. MSRP from 9.99 to 59.99. Launch date: July 2012.
— In a September 2014 survey, Kai Rady, owner of Shenanigans Inc in Charlottesville, Va., told TDmonthly that Plus Plus is one of the store's best-selling novelty items.

Kids can bring Mario Kart Wii to life as they race Mario and Bowser through a series of ice-themed obstacles. The set includes the parts to build Mario and Bowser, 2 Standard Karts with super-fast battery-powered motors, 2 moving obstacles: Penguins & Shy-Guy Snowboarders PLUS 2 collectible items from the game: a golden mushroom and a spiked blue shell. Also includes 16 pieces of buildable, interconnectable track that creates a closed loop - combine this set with other sets from the Mario Kart Wii Series to build even bigger tracks. Building set includes 182 parts. Launch date: May 2012.

The multiple, award-winning 126-piece Superstructs™ Big Builder set provides everything you need to build detailed, hard working, construction vehicles. Build a working forklift, dump truck, crane, or utility truck with the enclosed step-by-step plans. And once you have mastered these, you can take them apart and use your imagination to build other great creations!

Enter the Dragon. Made from natural wood this moving model, with leg action and moving wings, is easy to paint. Automata are whimsical mechanical toys that make movements when a crankshaft is turned. This dragon moves its head, neck, legs, wings and tail while flying gracefully through the air.

Build and stack for limitless fun with the award-winning First Builders Big Building Bag by Mega Bloks. These bright primary-colored blocks encourage hands-on exploration as children imagine and create. First Builders blocks are big and easy for little fingers to assemble. When playtime is over, zip the blocks up in the bag and stash them in the toy box until the next adventure. Includes 80 First Builders blocks.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

Teach stacking and sorting with a colorful assortment of big LEGO® DUPLO® bricks as children learn to build basic animals.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

Kids can build models that move with classic K'NEX pieces. Includes 300+ pieces and ideas to build 30 models like a truck, helicopter and dune buggy. Made in U.S.A.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys
— Dalene Lockhart, owner of Toy Town in Casper, Wyo., told TDmonthly in a May 2013 survey that K'Nex was one of her best-selling construction toy brands.

PlayMais is a biodegradable crafting material made from corn and colored with food coloring. It is manufactured in Germany, 100% safe, and biodegradable. PlayMais stimulates children's imagination and creativity, trains fine-motor skills, and develops social group skills. PlayMais can be shaped, squeezed, and cut — and all it takes is a little bit water to create unlimited fun. Children can build in 2 or 3 dimensions, or wherever their imagination takes them. The PlayMais M-Box contains 150 pieces, a sponge, and an instruction booklet. It is a perfect starter box.

PlayMais is a biodegradable crafting material made from corn and colored with food coloring. It is manufactured in Germany, 100% safe, and biodegradable. PlayMais stimulates children's imagination and creativity, trains fine motor skills, and develops social group skills. PlayMais can be shaped, squeezed, cut and all it takes is a little bit water to create unlimited fun. Children can build in 2 or 3 dimensions, or wherever their imagination takes them. The PlayMais XM-Box contains 250 pieces, a sponge, a biodegradable plastic knife, and an instruction booklet. It is a perfect starter box if you want to build more and bigger creations.

PlayMais is a biodegradable crafting material made from corn and colored with food coloring. It is manufactured in Germany, 100% safe, and biodegradable. PlayMais stimulates children's imagination and creativity, trains fine motor skills, and develops social group skills. PlayMais can be shaped, squeezed, cut and all it takes is a little bit water to create unlimited fun. Children can build in 2 or 3 dimensions, or wherever their imagination takes them.

Build 30 Amazing Erector Models. Designs include Dune buggy, lawn mower, crane, speedboat, tractor, forklift, motorcycle with rider. Kids can make their own masterpiece with a 6 Volt Motor (Requires 4 AA batteries not included). Set has 352 Parts and includes instructions and illustrations for 18 models.
— Joe Berardoni Jr., owner of Puns Toys in Bryn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly that Erector sets are one of their top selling hobby items.

This 85-piece set contains 72 easy-to-handle building blocks in a variety of brightly colored, interlocking geometric shapes, 8 wheels to construct buildings and vehicles with and 5 figurines. A convenient handled carrying case stores all the blocks neatly away when not in use.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval
— Mary Porter Green, owner of Curiostiy Zone in Ashburn, Va.,  told TDmonthly in a May 2015 survey that this was a best-selling construction toy at their store.

With a simple click, wheels, cockpits, wings and panels attach to the magnetic bars. 48 magnetic pieces provide building variation and fun that reaches the finish. 18 medium bars, four long bars, two cockpits, four pairs of wheels, ten metal balls, two ramps, two containers, and four panels. Giant, non-swallowable 1.8 inch diameter metal balls.

The nanoblock ‘Miniature Collection’ includes a wide range of musical instruments. Form a miniature band with the Drum Set and Electric Guitar or perform a piccolo concerto on the Grand Piano or violin. nanoblocks are all about the creative construction process with rewarding sculptural results – the perfect three-dimensional puzzle. The miniature blocks connect securely to create extremely detailed objects of varying size and complexity. Challenging three-dimensional puzzle with amazingly small sized building blocks.

With over 90 different attachments the Nexus offers maximum play value. With attachments like wheels, a scoop, hands, feet, wings, springs and more, the possibilities for creations are endless. Build a flying Martian, a hovering robot, or objects that fly, drive, and spin. The Nexus includes 4 flexible OGOBILD balls for hours of fun, and increased variety.

How can kids move a ball into a target with 2 high walls from 2 feet away? Build a ramp? A catapult? A trampoline? A zip-line? There are no right answers and we provide no solutions--it's up to kids to use ZOOB pieces (and other materials that they choose) to build contraptions that solve the challenges. The ZOOB Challenge features 175 ZOOB pieces, string, wheels, a ball, rubber bands, a foam play pad, and 25 challenges based on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) skills-skills that educators have targeted as essential to helping the US compete successfully in the 21st century.